’94 WCW BLOGJECT: 7/9/94

We open with Bobby Heenan, Gene Okerlund and Tony Schiavone explaining the “interactive” main event, where you call a phone number (which oddly enough was NOT the WCW Hotline), vote for one guy from each locker room and the leading vote-getters wrestle in a singles match.

We go to the blue locker room, where Gordon Solie (who I had no idea was still employed at this point) was standing by with all of the good guys:

They pitch to Eric Bischoff in the red locker room for about five seconds before going back to the commentators. In case you were curious, these were the choices the fans had to choose from:

They show a music video showing off Hulk Hogan under the guise of a “Flair versus Hogan” video. They inserted one clip of Flair, but otherwise it’s lots of Hulk Hogan flexing and posing. They had the gall to put this fake headline on television:

Hogan gets yet another motorcade while arriving to Center Stage. Could the guy not drive anywhere without cops?

We go back to the red locker room, where Vader talks about fearing no man and feeling no pain. He really wanted to wrestle the Guardian Angel. Over in the blue locker room, the Angel agrees.

ARN ANDERSON & “The Natural” DUSTIN RHODES vs BAD ATTITUDE (Bobby Eaton & Steve Keirn)
-I bet Steve Keirn sure loved Hogan coming in, considering the second he came in, Bad Attitude’s push ended. I’m not trying to put two and two together, but…
-Bobby Eaton took those weird hip-bump backdrops like Ric Flair takes (and isn’t it sad that I can’t say “used to take” as I type this in July of 2011?)
-Bobby Eaton was a MAN for taking a running big boot from Rhodes over the top rope and immediately following up by taking a backdrop on the concrete floor from Arn Anderson.
-After the bad guys work over Dustin for a minute or so, Dustin pins Eaton after he misses a top rope elbow drop. Solid little match completely made by Bobby Eaton being a nut.

They don’t even bother getting Anderson and Rhodes out of the ring before Gene Okerlund brings out Hulk Hogan for his first Center Stage promo. They also don’t bother planting their own merchandise for Hogan in the crowd.

Hogan says that it’s the “greatest day of his life” and pushes for the Flair/Sting fan vote main event before bringing out Mr. T, who Hogan referred to as “The Maniac Mugger”. T looked like he hadn’t slept one night since Wrestlemania I.

Ric Flair melts down in the red locker room like only Ric Flair can. He claims he’s going to “Rupert’s and Frankie’s”, not wrestling. Nick Bockwinkel threatens to strip Flair of the WCW World Title if he doesn’t stay. Flair and Bockwinkel are two such ridiculously opposite human beings that it’s ridiculous to think that they both thrived in the same profession doing very similar jobs.

RICKY “The Dragon” STEAMBOAT vs SHANGHAI PIERCE
-They show Fifi, Ric Flair’s old maid, trying to get into Center Stage. It turns to be Sensuous Sherri, who is carried off by Doug Dillenger.

-Shanghai is doing an AWESOME job bumping for Steamboat. He’s ragdolling himself on every move.
-Speaking of awesome, there was a great spot where Steamboat started running the ropes slowly and feigned exhaustion so that Pierce would chase him, only for Steamboat to pull down the top rope so Pierce would fly out of the ring.
-Steamboat wins with a top rope bodypress in quick order.

We go to the Bash at the Beach Control Center, where Gene Okerlund flat-out says, “Hulk Hogan is the most extraordinary athlete in the world today!”. This week, Gene announces a Sting versus Lord Steven Regal match, which would’ve been great if it went down.

Poor Sting. He had to cut a promo in the blue locker room to beg for support in the fan vote from the Hulkamaniacs and even said, “And even some votes from my few Stingers”.

-If you didn’t know the signs were planted, they showed a sign in the crowd for Stars & Stripes with their team name and everything on it…during their mystery debut (Schiavone announced that Bagwell would have a new team next week, but didn’t name who with or the team name).
-HOLY CRAP. I think Orndorff brained Bagwell with a running forearm worse than Chris Leben hit Wanderlai Silva at UFC 132 last weekend.
– Bagwell rolled up Roma for the victory after the Sullivan Brothers came out to distract Pretty Wonderful (injured Dave tried to fight, but Kevin pulled him away).

We go to Tony Schiavone and Gene Okerlund, who’re standing by with the vote tabulators. Judging by this, WCW had one guy listen to dialtones and telling the other guy to write them on a notebook.

Of COURSE, they already had a title screen made up with the final tabulations for this “live vote” on it.

STING vs “Nature Boy” RIC FLAIR
-Despite not planning on wrestling, Flair is magically in his ring gear by the time he hits the ring.
-This is every Sting/Flair match you’ve seen, where Flair begs off and Sting powers him around. It’s still great.
-Hulk Hogan comes out during the match to sit down since he isn’t being paid enough to stand, obviously.
-Sting has Flair beat in the Scorpion Deathlock, but a “dude” runs into the ring and tosses referee Randy Anderson.

-It turns out to be Sensuous Sherri, who gets an atomic drop from Hogan before being unwigged and sent running. Flair chopblocks Hogan (and hilariously misses the first one in tremendous fashion), but gets run off by Mr. T. In 1994.

I crap you not: Mr. T pulls out GOLDEN SILVERWARE as a visual aid to describe how Hulk Hogan will eat Ric Flair literally during the show-closing promo.

With that, the show’s over. The show’s worth watching for Bobby Eaton’s one-man show during the opening tag match and the Sting/Flair match, but it was a LOT of talking to get through. A LOT.